Longville Turtle Races

Make way for the Turtle Mobile! The main street of Longville closes promptly at 12:30 every Wednesday during the summer months to prepare for the turtle races. This is the Turtle Race Capital of the World. This summer fun has been happening for over 50 years. Back in 1967, Russ Nyvall, owner of the local saloon, decided that his small town needed to have some fun for the younguns.

It started as a simple tradition and has grown into a full-scale event with carnival games, a stage and announcer, a hula hoop contest, prizes, and vendors selling crafts and foods. Tickets to play the games are $.50 each so everyone can join in the fun. At times, there can be as many as 2000 people roaming around this town filled with unique shops. If you want to participate in the turtle races, you can bring your own turtle or rent one on-site. There is a $3 entrance fee, registration is at 1:00 and races begin at 2:00, wrapping up at 3:30. The Grand Winner and the Grand Slowpoke will each receive a special prize. They will have their pictures printed in the local paper, on the paper’s web page and on the Longville Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page.

One last thing to do before heading home is to take the family to enjoy a hard scoop ice cream cone at Frosty’s Ice Cream & Pizza Parlor. It is a long-time tradition for many visitors to Longville Minnesota. With 30 varieties of hand-dipped ice cream, there will be a flavor to satisfy everyone.